Walter Bowman's Fun Math -- Questions and Answers

Answers to Questions 51 thru 60

2005-09-06T23:53:00.000-04:00

51. Why are 1990 American dollar bills worth more than 1989 American dollar bills?

1,990 dollar bills are worth one dollar more than 1,989 dollar bills.

52. A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over five minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But, five minutes later, they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?

The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry.

53. Sam has three piles of sand and Dave has four piles of sand. If they put them all together, how many do they have?

If they put them all together, there will be one pile.

54. What is one thing that all wise me, regardless of religion or politics, agree is between heaven and earth?

The word “and.”

55. Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on Earth?

Mount Everest - it just hadn't been discovered.

56. A man married his sister, killed his mother, and was born before his father. He was considered socially acceptable by normal American standards. How is this possible?

He was a pastor and married his sister to her husband. His mother died during labor. When he was born his father was present.

57. How can you throw a golf ball with all your might and -- without hitting a wall or any other obstruction -- have the ball stop and come right back to you?

Throw the ball straight up.

58. Which would you rather have, a trunk full of nickels or a trunk half full of dimes?

Dimes are smaller than nickels, so choose the dimes.

59. A father and son are in a car accident. The father dies. The son is taken to the emergency room, and then immediately to the operating room. The surgeon says "I can't operate on this boy! He's my son!". How is this possible?

The surgeon is the boy's mother.

60. There are two plastic jugs filled with water. How could you put all of this water into a barrel, without using the jugs or any dividers, and still tell which water came from which jug?

Freeze the jugs first. Cut the jugs to get to the ice and put the ice in the barrel. You will be able to tell which water came from which jug.

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Answers for Questions 41 thru 50

2005-09-02T23:56:00.000-04:00

41. A man tries to sell a coin collector a rare and ancient coin, with a minting date marked on it of 237 BC. The collector has the man arrested for fraud. Why?

It wasn't called BC until long after Jesus.

42. The maker doesn't want it; the buyer won't use it; and the user doesn't even see it. What is it?

A coffin.

43. A taxi driver was called to take a group of passengers to the train station. The station is normally an hour away, but with traffic being heavy, it took a full hour and a half. On the return trip, the traffic was still heavy and yet the trip took only 90 minutes. How is this possible?

An hour and a half IS 90 minutes.

44. Which is correct?: “The yolk of the egg ARE white” or “The yolk of the egg IS white?”

Neither, the yolk of the egg is yellow.

45. What is the significance of the following: The year is 1978, thirty-four minutes past noon on May 6th.

12:34, 5/6/78. Cute huh?

46. Even if they are starving, natives living in the Artic will never eat penguin eggs. Why not?

Penguins live in the Antarctic.

47. How could you rearrange the letters in the words “new door” to make one word? There is only one correct answer.

new door = ne w d o or = one w or d = one word

48. In what year did Christmas, and News Year’s fall on the same day?

They always fall on the same day of the week - just at different times of the year.

49. Brothers or sisters have I none, but that mans father is my fathers son. Who is that man?

I am my father's son, so that man's father must be me. So that man must be my son.

50. If the Vice-president of the United States should die, who would be President?

The President.

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Answers to Questions 31 thru 40.

2005-09-01T21:51:00.000-04:00

31. What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and gray when you throw it away?

Charcoal.

32. Major John and some of the boys were exchanging old war stories. Art Bragg offered one about how his grandfather led a battalion against a German division during World War I. Through brilliant maneuvers he defeated them and captured valuable territory. After the battle, he was presented with a sword bearing the inscription: “To Captain Bragg for Bravery, Daring and Leadership . World War One. From the Men of Battalion 8.” Major John scoffed and discredited Art’s story immediately. What’s wrong with Art’s story?

World War I was "The War To End All Wars" and was not called “World War I” until World War II happened.

33. How many times can you subtract the number 5 from 25?


Only once, then you are subtracting from 20.

34. An electrician and a plumber were waiting in line at a theater. One of them was the father of the other’s son. How could this be possible?


They were husband and wife.

35. I have many feathers to help me fly. I have a body and head, but I'm not alive. It is your strength which determines how far I go. You can hold me in your hand, but I'm never thrown. What am I?


An arrow.

36. Forward I'm heavy, backward I'm not. What am I?


TON. Forward -- TON is heavy. Backward -- NOT is not.

37. A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in three years. Which room is safest for him?


The third. Lions that haven't eaten in three years are dead.

38. Two adjoining rooms are separated by a wall such that you can not see into the second room when standing in the first one. The first has three light switches, each connected to an individual light in the second room. You can only walk to the second room once. How can you determine which switch is connected to which light in one trip only?


Turn on switch one for five minutes. Turn it off and turn on switch two. Go into the next room and check to see which light is on. That light is controlled by switch two. The other two lights are off. Check which light is hot. That light is controlled by switch one. The other light that is off is controlled by switch three.

39. If there are four crows sitting on a fence and you shoot one, how many remain?


None; the others get startled and fly away. (Abraham Lincoln used to tell this one.)

40. In Miramar, Florida, you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?


You have to take a picture of a man with a camera, not with a wooden leg.

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Answers to Questions 21 thru 30

2005-08-31T03:25:00.000-04:00

21. Two men play seven games of chess. Each man wins the same number of games and there are no draws. How is this possible?

They were not playing each other.

22. A rooster sits on the peak of a roof. If he lays an egg, which side of the roof will it roll off?

If a rooster lays an egg, it's a miracle!

23. A clerk in a butcher shop is 6 feet tall. What does he weigh?

He weighs meat, fish, chicken, etc!

24. A nine foot wooden ladder is attached to the side of a boat tied to a dock. The bottom rung is even with the water line. Each rung is 1 foot apart. The tide begins to rise one foot an hour. How long will it take to cover the bottom 3 rungs?

It will never happen. The ladder is attached to the boat which will rise with the tide.

25. If a doctor gives you 3 pills and tells you to take them every half hour, how long will they last?

One hour. Take the first pill, then take the second pill in 30 minutes and the third pill 30 minutes later. Elapsed time is one hour.

26. You are blindfolded in front of a pile of 15 red socks and 15 black socks mixed together. Selecting one sock at a time, what is the minimum number of socks you must select to ensure a matching pair?

Three. Select the first sock. Let's say it is red. Select the second sock. If it is red it matches. But if it is black, you must select the third sock. No matter what color it is, you have a match.

27. What was the president's name in 1952?

George W. Bush. (It still is!)

28. How many 3-cent stamps are there in a dozen?

12. 29. How many cubic feet of dirt are in a hole 3 feet long, 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep?

There is no dirt in a hole.

30. If it takes 3 men 3 days to dig 3 holes, how long would it take 2 men to dig 1/2 a hole?

There is no such thing as half a hole!

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Answers To Questions 11 thru 20

2005-08-30T03:01:00.000-04:00

11. Does England have a 4th of July?
Of course it does. They just don't celebrate it.

12. Some months have 30 days and some months have 31 days. How many months have 28 days?

All 12 have 28 days!

13. Divide 30 by 1/2 and add 10. What is the result?

When you divide by a fraction, invert the fraction and multiply. So 30 divided by 1/2 is 30 times 2/1 or 60. Add 10 to equal 70.

14. If there are 3 apples and you take away 2 apples, how many apples do you have?

If you "took" 2 apples, you have 2 apples.

15. You have only one match and you walk into a dark room that has a kerosene lamp, a wood burning stove and an oil burning stove. Which one would you light first?

You would have to light the match first!

16. How many animals of each sex did Moses take aboard the ark?

Moses? Moses ===> Red Sea, Promised Land. Noah ===> the ark. Did I get you?

17. Why can't a man living in Canada be buried in the United States?

He's still alive!

18. A woman gives a beggar one dollar. The woman is the beggar's sister, but the beggar is not the woman's brother. How can that be?

The beggar is the woman's sister.

19. In baseball, how many "outs" are there in an inning?

6. Each team gets 3 outs.

20. Is it legal in Florida for a man to marry his widow's sister?

It's illegal everywhere. He is dead. That's why she's a widow.

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Answers to Questions 1 thru 10

2005-08-29T02:16:00.000-04:00

1. How far can a dog run into the woods?

Only half way. After that, he is running out of the woods!

2. A cow standing on three legs weighs 600 pounds. How much does the cow weigh standing on all four legs?

If the cow is supporting 600 pounds on 3 legs, each leg is supporting

600 divided by 3 = 200 pounds. So 4 legs would be 4 times 200 =

800 pounds. If you got this right, you're way off! I'm kidding!

The cow weighs 600 pounds all of the time, no matter how

many legs she's standing on!

3. How many birthdays does the average person have?

This one is open to interpretation. Each person has only 1 real birthday.

Each year the birth is celebrated. But, I think once a year is still a

birthday and either answer is right!

4. Why can't a man's hand be 12 inches long?

Because then it would be a foot! lol

5. Which weighs more: a pound of corn or a pound of feathers?

This one is straight forward. A pound of corn and a pound of feathers

are equal.

6. Which weighs more: a pound of gold or a pound of feathers?

Now we get tricky. A pound of feathers is using the avoirdupois

weights, so a pound is 16 ounces. Gold is weighed in troy weight

where a pound weighs 12 ounces. So, a pound of feathers weighs

more than a pound of gold!

7. Which weighs more: an ounce of gold or an ounce of feathers?

If you guessed gold this time, you are right! Were you guessing?

Since 12 ounces of gold weighs a pound but 12 ounces of feathers

weighs 3/4 pound (12/16), an ounce of gold weighs more than an

ounce of feathers. Another way to prove this is one troy ounce

weighs 480 grains and one avoirdupois ounce weighs 437.5 grains.

8. I have two United States coins that total 55 cents. Bear in mind that one of them is not a nickel. Then what are they?

A nickel and a half dollar. The half dollar is not a nickel! I warned you!

9. A farmer has twenty sick sheep. One dies. How many are left?

This one is better when you hear it, not read it. Twenty "sick" sheep

sounds like "twenty six" when you hear it. Anyway, 1 dies and 19

are left.

10. A farmer has twenty sheep. All but 9 die. How many are left?

If all but 9 die, then 9 are left.

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